It is turning into “a banner year,” said Friends of C.H. Booth Library Book Sale Volunteer Toni Earnshaw of the CD, DVD, and even sci-fi/mystery book sections of the upcoming book sale.

“Twice as many CDs as last year — 7,000 at last count” have been donated for this year’s fundraiser, which returns to the air-conditioned Reed Intermediate School for its 39th annual offering Saturday through Wednesday, July 12–16.

A week before building begins, Newtown has filed suit against the state in an effort to delay construction of a $52 million jail here, and plans another in hopes of forcing the state to relocate. A state official overseeing plans for the 400-cell jail said Thursday, however, that the town’s lawsuit is based on incomplete and incorrect information. A successful lawsuit may delay work at the site anywhere from 60 days to six months or a year.

Photo bombs continue to be a very popular trend, and this week I spotted one of my own doing just that. When one of our Bee photographers was out collecting Bee’s Buck photos last week, she didn’t realize that while she was trying to sneakily take a photo for this week’s challenge photo, the photographer herself was also being watched.

We are products of our choices. With Paul Rudnick’s I Hate Hamlet, The Town Players of Newtown tackles the question of art over fame and fortune for one young, contemplative TV star. In doing so, the Town Players current summer fare proves to be the perfect antidote to summer doldrums and a delightful evening of theatre.

The 1750 Matthew Curtiss House at 44 Main Street, which is the museum and headquarters of Newtown Historical Society, was the stepping-off point for the society’s 18th Annual House & Garden Tour on Saturday, June 28. Participants obtained maps there of the houses and gardens on display. The event is a fundraiser for the society.

Jeff Shwartz is a beekeeper, which entails much more than a sweet, amber-colored reward.

“Believe it or not, I thought I wanted honey,” he said. Regarding the work he began in 2007, he said, “I thought that a couple of times a year you pull on a deep sea diving suit and steal honey” from the bee hives. He soon discovered that tending bees was a far bigger business.

Stop & Shop Store Manager Rich Marcuccio, right, FAITH Food Pantry co-chair Nancy Taylor and event co-organizer and Newtown resident Chris Sferruzzo gathered in front of several pallets of food collected for FAITH Food Pantry during a June 14 car show and raffle held at the South Main Street grocery store in Sand Hill Plaza.